Artificial sweeteners are really not effective in keeping you thin and healthy. Actually, they can increase your risk for weight gain, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease, according to a recent study. Stevia, aspartame, and sucralose, the most commonly used artificial sweeteners may actually cause you to gain weight.

Artificial Sweeteners: Too Much Sugar

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people in the United States consume too much added sugar.

These are sugars that are added to foods and beverages when they’re processed or prepared. Naturally occurring sugars in fruit or milk are not considered added sugars.

Both the CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend people should keep their sugar intake to less than 10 percent of their total daily calories.

For a 2,000-calorie diet, for example, only 200 calories should come from added sugars.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and USDA MyPlate recommend people choose and prepare foods and beverages with little added sugars or caloric sweeteners.

Artificial Sweeteners: Study Results

A recent report reviewed 37 studies involving 400,000 people for an average of 10 years.

Seven of these studies were randomized controlled trials that followed 1,003 people for an average of six months.

Researchers said the seven trials failed to show a consistent link between artificial sweeteners and weight loss. Indeed, the longer-term studies actually showed a higher risk of health problems.

It’s not just a biochemical reaction that leads artificial sweeteners to pack on the pounds. Artificially sweetened foods can trick you into overeating because of they way they feel in your mouth. The taste and feel of food in our mouth influences our learned ability to match our caloric intake with our caloric need.

High fat, high sugar foods taste both sweet and dense, signaling to your brain that they’re high calories. But artificially sweetened foods often have a thinner consistency and texture than sugar-sweetened foods and thus, aren’t as satisfying.

A person’s natural ability to control how much to eat when this natural link is impaired by consuming products that contain artificial sweeteners. The results can be unwanted weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease.